Michael needs your help, questions, and ideas for a big new project on rucking/walking with weight.

He wants to to hear:

* Questions you have about rucking/walking with weight.

* Tips that have helped you do it better.

* Any other thoughts/anecdotes you’d like to share.

* Fill out this quick, three-question form if you’re up for helping.

This episode of Two Percent would be truly parasitic if it were just Michael asking you for a favor.

So as a thanks for filling out the form, we’ll also cover five high-impact tips around walking with weight that have helped many people get started and do it better.

Enjoy.

Today Michael is answering the following questions from Two Percent readers:

* What’s your opinion on the health effects of drinking, and if I’m drinking too much, how do I stop?

* How can I get really fit in one year?

Here’s why these questions matter.

The alcohol question:

* The debate over the health effects of alcohol is hotter than ever.

* Many health influencers now say you should have a zero-tolerance policy with alcohol, meaning any amount of alcohol is bad and not good for your health.

* I disagree.

* I think some amount of alcohol can actually be health-promoting—but the amount of alcohol we drink and context we drink it in is what determines whether it’s health or not.

* We’ll also explain how to think about not drinking if you think you drink too much.

* The current medical literature describes substance abuse as a “brain disease.” But I think that’s wrong. Rather, I think it’s a signal that needs to be unpacked.

The getting fit in a year question.

* I’m going to do you one better: I’ll explain how to get fit in six month.

* This matters because, if you’re currently sedentary, getting fit is one of the best things you can do for health and longevity.

* But people new to fitness often go about it wrong.

* I’ll explain a six month action plan that’ll get you fit. Really fit. I’ve seen it work on many people.

* Below you also find a short template for how to approach this.

To get access to the full episode, become a Member at TWOPCT.com

We often think it’s best to be as strong as possible.

But chasing strength for the sake of it can backfire.

It’s likely better for your time and long-term health and performance to be “strong enough.”

Michael will explain what “strong enough” is and how to reach it safer and in a way that translates to better performance and health.

He’ll also highlight a great leg exercise that gets you “strong enough.” See a video of the exercise at TWOPCT.com.

The places where people gather and connect are changing—and that’s impacting our health and society.

There’s a good case for going down to the bar, or church, or volunteer club, or (insert any place where you gather with others).

Today on Two Percent, we’re speaking with Gwendolyn (Wendy) Bounds, author of the Not Too Late Substack and a book called Little Chapel on the River that dives deeply into this topics. Wendy and Michael covered:

* What Wendy learned about community, connection, and resilience while working at in a hole-in-the-wall pub in Garrison, New York.

* How local gathering spaces have changed over the last 40 years and how that impacts resilience and health.

* The importance of “third places” outside of home and work.

* How technology has altered human interactions and why finding a positive online community is so important.

* How political conversations have shifted over the last 20 years.

* The differences in the resilience that came after 9/11 versus after the COVID-19 pandemic.

* How Wendy found community in the world of obstacle course racing.

* If you’d rather watch this episode in video form, go to TWOPCT.com.

The Expedition covers the most worthwhile and impactful ideas Michael discovered in the last month.

This month, we’re covering:

* Numbers on:

* How many minutes of TikTok gets kids hooked.

* A new marathon world record.

* The amount of money pharma companies paid to influence studies.

* Your odds of dying if you regularly ride a motorcycle

* How mental health issues impact longevity.

* How much your genes influence your body fat.

* An explosion in farming yields.

* The percentage of people who reveal their true political opinions.

* How ice baths impact muscle repair.

* Miles a lost cat trekked to get back home.

* Fact check: Did America really start losing weight?

* Las Vegas blowing s**t up in fabulous Las Vegas fashion.

* A fascinating take on the real reason fit people criticize those who lose weight using Ozempic.

* My thoughts on Ozempic and other GLP1s.

* The research on how many people are toxic online.

* A killer core exercise (I love this one)

* A parting quote.

* A critical parting question.

To read the full post and find links, watch videos, and more, go to TWOPCT.com.

Become a Member of Two Percent at TWOPTC.com.

Steps are critical for your health—step more, die later.

But until now, some popular activity tracking companies like WHOOP have resisted steps and proudly proclaimed they don’t count steps.

Yet WHOOP recently caved and started counting steps.

Today Michael will cover why steps are uniquely valuable and different from exercise, and why knowing your step counts can be like gasoline for:

* Overall health, wellness, metabolic health, and calorie burn.

* Avoiding weight loss plateaus.

* Building killer endurance and avoiding a strange and troubling problem that is uniquely American.

He’ll also cover early data WHOOP’s step count accuracy, and the step accuracy of six other tracking brands.

Michael’s wife, Leah, got a treadmill desk earlier this year.

Now she steps far more than Michael. And probably you. And, the studies suggest, even more than the most active people on Earth.

It’s wild, it’s crazy—it’s the Two Percent mindset at its finest: Finding ways to make something you’re already doing just a bit harder to get more. Embracing short-term discomfort for a massive long-term benefit.

But we need to be finding ways to step more. And a treadmill desk is a good solution. This episode will cover:

* How many steps the human body needs for health.

* Lessons Leah learned during her nine-month (and counting!) walkathon.

* Tactics to get the most from using a treadmill desk.

Today is the second Friday of the month—which means it’s time for Gear Not Stuff, the internet’s best gear column. We feature only gear, never stuff.

This episode follows up on two recent episodes that covered microplastics:

* This episode explained the basics of microplastics and how they harm your health (six things you must know).

* This episode revealed 10 ways you can avoid microplastics.

Today’s episode reveals 8 pieces of essential gear that will help you and your family take in fewer microplastics—reducing your long term health risks.

Walking might be the best act to for recovery between workouts, building a foundation of health, and strengthening your mindset.

Today’s episode is a quick primer on the power of walking—which you should do. Ideally outside. Daily.

We’ll tell some wild stories and cover the impressive science around the power of walking. You’ll learn:

* Why humans are built to walk.

* The body benefits of walking.

* The brain benefits of walking.

* How I program walking into my overall health and fitness routine (it’s a cornerstone).

The recovery phase after your workout is when you build back better and improve your health and fitness.

But the rise of the “recovery” industry has led to recovery practices that take longer than the workout itself. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

How you recover from a hard workout doesn’t have to be as labor intensive as the workout itself. This episode covers:

* The two most important recovery practices.

* Three other no-effort recovery practices that’ll help you recover quicker.

The result: You’ll be able to recover from your workouts better and in less time.